


Cheers

by rapunzariccia



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: post-meteorfall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 19:50:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4234416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rapunzariccia/pseuds/rapunzariccia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon defeating Sephiroth, the group returns to the Cosmo area to rest and relax. Yuffie has an idea.</p>
<p>Yuffie POV. Rework of a fic I put up to ff.net in 2010.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cheers

Everyone celebrates victory differently.  
  
Wartime Wutai was solemn and quiet for the most part, and for good reason. We lost the war, but the men kept their lives. Dad told me once that having as many soldiers come home as possible was the best reward for fighting, but he was kidding himself. We had to attend a lot of funerals, bow to pictures f all the people that wouldn't be celebrating with us. It wasn't long before Wutai turned kitschy and opened the bar and stores up willingly to Shinra stock and troops passing through, and that felt more like a penalty than anything.  
  
That was a long time ago. I've seen different celebrations since, all over the world, between all kinds of people. Most people hug and cheer. Some cry. Everyone does their best to keep on being human even though the cost is always too great to bear alone. Victory always has a price, and more often than not it sneaks up on the person trying to claim it. Sometimes it hurts so bad it doesn't feel like you've won.  
  
That's our story.  
  
We should have returned from the centre of the Planet feeling like heroes. We should have stepped off the airship to applause and music with Rufus Shinra heading the crowd, that bastard. We all knew it wasn't going to be like that. Even after we killed Sephiroth, when we were standing exhausted with only the sounds of the blood pounding through our ears, when there were no monsters making their way down to us. It was like the world had just _stopped_ to give us a moment to breathe again, and then Cloud suggested we go home. Just like that.  
  
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't feel like victory.  
  
We had to wait a while to feel it proper, of course. All of the on the airship watched the world nearly come to its end and then - again - silence. Like it wasn't real. Like all of us would open our eyes and realise we were still stuck down where we'd never see the sun again. Like when we looked at the sky the last thing we'd know was Meteor.  
  
The pilot didn't ask for orders or wait for them. He waited for an appropriate amount of time, letting us watch Midgar's fresh ruins (and I swear I should feel happier now it's finally been ground into the dirt, but that'll probably come later) before pulling levers and knobs and taking us away. The landscape changed underneath us from badlands to greenery to the dark ocean's crashing waves, rolling like nothing had ever happened. I started to feel sick as we flew over Corel.  
  
He set us down close to Cosmo Canyon. We got off, every single person aboard the airship, and made our winding way up to the village. By the time we made it to the stairs the sun was below the horizon. I'd never seen Cosmo at night before, and I stopped to stare at the risk of being left alone. It's incredible what you take for granted up until you battle for the life of the Planet itself. Twinkling torches everywhere, and the reflection of the stairs clear from the top of the old geezer's observatory.   
  
"I always wanted to see this place," one of the deck hands murmured as we entered the village. The guy usually standing guard was nowhere to be seen. Another of our guys in uniform took his hat off. I'm not for sappy things like that - no point in being awestruck when there's things to see and materia to find, but this time, I understood.  
  
"Alright boys," Cid called, back straight, cigarette stuck to his lips. "That's it. You're free men now; I ain't keepin' you from living your lives. Go spend 'em with people you love, and stay safe. Shinra's dust now, but there's no telling whether they'll remember you all stealing their ship from under their noses. I'll give y'all a lift in the morning if you want one."  
  
As one, the deck hands saluted the old captain, who scratched his chin and didn't look at all bothered by their display of gratitude. Typical Cid. As a couple of the men edged forward to try for a handshake, I watched others wander slowly off into the Canyon, staring around like they couldn't quite believe they were here. From the corner of my eye, I saw Tifa reach for Cloud and then point at the Candle. He nodded, and waited for the last of the crew - good men, but not part of our group - to go.  
  
"Let's sit," he said, and took off without waiting to see if anyone else followed. We all did, of course. We'd followed him this far.  
  
That pensive silence returned as we all took places around the Candle, each person wrapped up in their own thoughts. I kept my place at the back of the group, unwilling to get caught up with my mind, and made a beeline to Cid before he collapsed on the ground with the rest of them.  
  
"What," he growled as I grabbed his sleeve.  
"We should celebrate," I said simply. "You know, a 'hooray, we saved the world' kind of thing. Since we saved the world and all."  
I didn't need to be looking at him to know he was rolling his eyes. "And what did you have in mind? Some kinda disco? Funky dancing to whatever hot beat you can conjure up? I ain't cut out for any of that, and I don't think the others would want to do that either."  
  
The idea of the old man grinding to some catchy pop tune was enough to make me snort out loud. He swiped at my head, and I dodged, full blown laughing now. "Nothing like that, gramps. I was thinking more along the lines of a drink from the bar, but I'm too young to buy."  
"You want me to buy alcohol for you."  
"And help carry, of course!"  
  
I've seen resignation many times before, usually on dad's face, but it's never looked so pained as it did on Cid. It's not like we were hurting for money, and it's not my fault that I wasn't old enough. It _was_ my fault that I was stopping him from resting his ancient bones, but I choose to ignore that personal shortcoming.  
  
He followed me into the bar, grumbling to himself. It was empty of even the regular drunks that I'd grown accustomed to seeing around the world. There's always a couple glued to their chairs nursing drink after drink, but there was no one here. Even the bartender was absent.  
"Helloooo?" I called, and no one appeared. I turned back to Cid, who shrugged.  
"Probably out celebratin' the lack of Meteor," he said. "Or mourning, or somethin'. Let's go back to the others-"  
"Not likely!"  
  
I ignored his protests as I scrambled over the bar, eyes on a nearly-full bottle of something amber. I uncorked it, took a deep sniff and immediately felt my eyes water.  
"Perfect," I announced. "Slap some gil on the counter, gramps, so we aren't stealing. Grab some glasses."  
  
We found cups under the bar. No one appeared to stop us, and anyway, I'm pretty sure Cid had put down more than the bottle was worth. No need for change in our world, we're self-made millionaires with the amount of extra work we've done on the way to Sephiroth. He grumbled the whole way there and back - mostly about kids not knowing when to sit down and shut up - but he helped, so there's that.  
  
Everyone else was still silent when we returned. Cloud was staring into the fire like he wanted his eyes to burn out.  
"Congratulations!" I called as we approached. Everyone jerked out of their thoughts, staring at us like they hadn't noticed we hadn't been sitting with them. Likely they hadn't. "You did it! We _saved the world_. So here you go, courtesy of your very favourite ninja. No catch, no payment, just a present from me."  
I ignored Cid clearing his throat - money, schmoney, it's a shared wealth that he should have been happy to spend - and started pressing empty glasses into everyone's hands. They were all staring like they didn't understand what was happening. I uncorked the bottle to yet more silence.  
"No dice, huh?" I asked as I started pouring. "You guys are no fun. Come on, we're heroes!"  
  
"Yuffie," Red started. I shook my head, raised my eyebrows as high as they would go.  
"Don't want to hear it! Quit moping for _three seconds_ and humour me."  
"Yuffie."  
"Oh, _what_?"  
  
It had been building for a while. I get that I'm younger than everyone, not as experienced as them, not as good at so many things, but I was fed up of taking so much shtick from them. Yuffie, stop stealing our materia. Yuffie, go stand somewhere you won't throw up on all of us. "I get it, okay?! Hold up telling me off, because I don't want to hear it. You're all upset after everything and you just want to take a minute to breathe and get it out of your system before you go back to whatever boring lives you lived before. You think I'm not the same? I've been here fighting with all of you! I came to fight Sephiroth with you. I was with you to see Aerith go. I have just as much cause to hate Shinra as the rest of you! I don't want to hear that I should be quiet."  
  
I stopped to take a breath. Everyone glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of my outburst.  
"I get it. I really do. But it's so - it's so _disrespectful_! Sitting around moping when you should be happy that we're all here. I'll say it again: we saved the Planet. Everyone can start healing now. We aren't the only people that have lost and hurt, but thanks to us we all get to push on. We deserve at least a little reward. Watch."  
  
Shaking my head, I lifted my glass. The alcohol turned a richer colour, illuminated by the Candle.  
"I'm making a toast. I dedicate this drink to Wutai, and the downfall of Shinra. I drink for my father's pride and the hope that one day Wutai becomes great again. And to you guys for helping me save the world."   
  
There was no one else to thank, so I lowered my glass and nodded. "Now someone else goes. Everyone has to say something."  
  
No one said anything.  
  
The silence stretched out so much that I started to feel foolish. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe I had explained the whole thing wrong. Maybe they didn't make toasts outside of Wutai. Maybe there was no reason to celebrate even after the victories we had made. A world, a new family, an airship, materia... maybe none of it mattered.  
  
"For mama," Tifa said quietly. She wasn't looking at me, or Cloud, or anyone - she was turning her glass in her hands and her big brown eyes were focused on the drink within. "And papa, and Zangan. For everyone at Nibelheim. For..." her brows knit together like she was trying hard to remember something. "For everyone in the slums. For everyone that died in Sector Seven."  
"An' AVALANCHE!"  
  
Barret scrambled to his feet, lifting his glass with his one human hand. He'd unhooked the gun from his arm while I hadn't been around; it rested on the ground almost unnoticed. He didn't look any smaller for it. I don't think he could look small if he tried. "No one better forget Biggs or Wedge or Jessie. I promised 'em we'd come here one day and now I'm drinkin' for 'em. An' for Dyne, Eleanor an' Myrna. For my little girl Marlene, who better be safe. Thanks, Elmrya," he added, lifting his eyes to the sky like she might hear him.  
  
There was another pause after he finished speaking, but this was a silence we were more accustomed to - the almost-stunned period everyone needed to recover after Barret announced any one of his plans. He looked at Tifa, who looked over to Cloud, who was still staring into the flames.  
  
"I'm... not sure," he said, and he sounded as distant as he had the first time we'd gone north. "There are too many people that aren't here that should be. I guess my drink goes to them. To... Zack. And to Aerith."  
  
He didn't look up once from the flames. I raised my own glass again. "To Aerith."  
  
"Aerith," everyone murmured, and I felt their melancholy fall over my heart as well. She should have been here with us. I wondered what she might have pledged her drink to, or to whom - her mother, no doubt, and to little Marlene as well, and to everyone else she'd ever met. She had been a loving woman.   
  
When it became clear that Cloud wasn't going to say anything else, Cid raised his hand as high as it would go, unwilling to get to his feet again. "I guess to Shera, damn fool that she is. We'd be stuck up there without her."  
  
Red shifted position and swished his tail as Cid lowered his arm again. "I dedicate this drink to my grandfather, and to my brave parents. For everyone in this village, I will drink, and for the kindness of you people, from all walks of life."  
  
That delighted a little smile from Tifa. I turned to the two former Shinra employees. "And you two?"  
  
"Good question," the little black cat replied, sounding mechanical as ever. I wondered where the man operating it was and what he was doing, whether he'd poured himself a little glass of something and was raising it to the night with us and whoever else he was sheltering with. "I know you guys won't agree, but my glass is full because of - and for - the people of Shinra. Not for Heidegger," it added quickly. Both the cat and the stuffed Mog it sat on raised their hands defensively. "Or Scarlet, or Hojo, or the President. I mean the people that mattered. The secretaries that delivered letters and brought us coffee, the people that just wanted a better life, and anyone else that deserved it. We weren't all bad."  
  
I knew from experience that there was no point arguing the point, so I turned away and fixed Vincent under my gaze. He avoided it easily. "Lucrecia," he said quietly. "And like the last, for my former comrades, and for the Turks I never worked with. Tseng, Reno, Rude and Elena, I believe are their names. And for Veld."  
  
He lifted his head fully and looked us all over, gaze ending on Cloud, who must have felt something amiss. He tore his eyes from the fire and turned them in the direction of the former Turk, although he must not have been able to see properly.  
"Yes?" he asked.  
"I speak plainly, without the fear of being antagonised for what I am going to say, though I know it may offend you, for which I apologise." He waited, and Cloud nodded once, slowly, obviously nonplussed. "I would also like to dedicate my drink to the Sephiroth that never knew a mother."  
  
The silence returned, this time a little frostier than before. Every pair of eyes turned toward Cloud, who was blinking now, either from surprise or his sight trying to return. He could have been carved from marble but for his eyes, and then slowly, _slowly_ , he relaxed.  
  
"Well said," he muttered, and turned his face back to the flames.  
  
"Don't forget to drink, guys, or it isn't binding!" I said, and did so. The others followed suit as I took a sip and pulled away sharply, their reactions much calmer. The last time I tried shochu, I spat it back into the cup, much to dad's disgust. Guess I still have some growing up to do.  
  


* * *

  
  
We stayed in the Canyon that night, sleeping out next to the Candle. The fire kept us warm through the night and stopped the bugs from coming close. No one came to tell us to go to the inn. It was a surprise to wake up the next morning without the eerie light of Meteor colouring the sky pinky-red. I woke as the sun rose, too early to want to get up, and lay there watching the clouds drift across the sky as everyone else slept.  
  
The world might not know us as heroes, but we stopped everything from going kaboom, and I guess that's good enough. The Planet has a future and Shinra is over. I'll persuade Cloud to give me back Leviathan and then go home, and we'll figure out a way to grow strong again. We'll succeed, and then there'll be cause for a real celebration.  
  
To the future.


End file.
